Acting and music are inseparably combined in this work, which concerns two inmates of a Soviet mental hospital: one a sane political dissident, the other a man whose fantasy is that he possesses a symphony orchestra. They both report regularly to a doctor, who is himself a member of an orchestra and who steps down from time to time to join the imaginary orchestra – clearly visible to the audience – which surrounds the inmates’ cell. The play blends fantasy and reality throughout.